Here are 2013's earliest sightings of resident and common migrant butterflies, as reported to Butterfly Conservation.
Emergences still running a couple of week behind normal first sighting dates, but Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary now out in South West England.
If you have seen a butterfly in 2013 that is not yet listed below, and you are confident that you have identified it correctly, please email our Surveys Manager with details of your sighting. You can follow all the latest sightings, as they happen, on Twitter @RichardFoxBC
| Vernacular name | Scientific name | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chequered Skipper | Carterocephalus palaemon | ||
| Small Skipper | Thymelicus sylvestris | ||
| Essex Skipper | Thymelicus lineola | ||
| Lulworth Skipper | Thymelicus acteon | ||
| Silver-spotted Skipper | Hesperia comma | ||
| Large Skipper | Ochlodes sylvanus | ||
| Dingy Skipper | Erynnis tages | 4 May |
Gloucestershire |
| Grizzled Skipper | Pyrgus malvae | 23 April |
Somerset |
| Swallowtail | Papilio machaon | ||
| Wood White | Leptidea sinapis | 2 May |
Surrey |
| Cryptic Wood White | Leptidea juvernica | 7 May |
Co. Fermanagh |
| Clouded Yellow | Colias croceus | ||
| Brimstone | Gonepteryx rhamni | 1 Jan |
Bedfordshire & Oxfordshire |
| Large White | Pieris brassicae | 3 April |
Warwickshire |
| Small White | Pieris rapae | 2 March |
Lincolnshire |
| Green-veined White | Pieris napi | 16 April |
Warwickshire |
| Orange-tip | Anthocharis cardamines | 27 Feb |
Oxfordshire |
| Green Hairstreak | Callophrys rubi | 11 April |
Hampshire |
| Brown Hairstreak | Thecla betulae | ||
| Purple Hairstreak | Favonius quercus | ||
| White-letter Hairstreak | Satyrium w-album | ||
| Black Hairstreak | Satyrium pruni | ||
| Small Copper | Lycaena phlaeas | 5 March |
Norfolk |
| Small Blue | Cupido minimus | 6 May |
Glamorgan |
| Silver-studded Blue | Plebejus argus | ||
| Brown Argus | Aricia agestis | 16 May |
Yorkshire |
| Northern Brown Argus | Aricia artaxerxes | ||
| Common Blue | Polyommatus icarus | 5 May |
Buckinghamshire & Kent |
| Chalkhill Blue | Polyommatus coridon | ||
| Adonis Blue | Polyommatus bellargus | ||
| Holly Blue | Celastrina argiolus | 6 April |
Dorset |
| Large Blue | Phengaris arion | ||
| Duke of Burgundy | Hamearis lucina | 30 April |
Hampshire |
| White Admiral | Limenitis camilla | ||
| Purple Emperor | Apatura iris | ||
| Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | 1 Jan |
Devon, Hants, Herts, Glos, Surrey, Sussex & Wilts |
| Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | 1 Jan |
Devon, Dorset, Hants, Isle of Wight & Sussex |
| Small Tortoiseshell | Aglais urticae | 1 Jan |
Dorset & Sussex |
| Peacock | Aglais io | 1 Jan |
Hants, Shropshire, Staffs, Sussex & Warks |
| Comma | Polygonia c-album | 8 Jan |
Kent |
| Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary | Boloria selene | 16 May |
Devon & Gloucestershire |
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary | Boloria euphrosyne | 27 April |
Devon |
| High Brown Fritillary | Argynnis adippe | ||
| Dark Green Fritillary | Argynnis aglaja | ||
| Silver-washed Fritillary | Argynnis paphia | ||
| Marsh Fritillary | Euphydryas aurinia | ||
| Glanville Fritillary | Melitaea cinxia | ||
| Heath Fritillary | Melitaea athalia | ||
| Speckled Wood | Pararge aegeria | 1 Jan |
Cornwall |
| Wall Brown | Lasiommata megera | 2 May |
Cornwall |
| Mountain Ringlet | Erebia epiphron | ||
| Scotch Argus | Erebia aethiops | ||
| Marbled White | Melanargia galathea | ||
| Grayling | Hipparchia semele | ||
| Gatekeeper | Pyronia tithonus | ||
| Meadow Brown | Maniola jurtina | ||
| Ringlet | Aphantopus hyperantus | ||
| Small Heath | Coenonympha pamphilus | 2 May |
Surrey & Sussex |
| Large Heath | Coenonympha tullia |
